Synopsis On the morning of 29May 1996, the ferry L'HRITAGEI was on a scheduled voyage. When the vessel was approximately four miles north-west of le aux Basques, Quebec, she encountered a wave that was higher than the others. A truck parked on the forward vehicle deck broke its tie-downs and overturned. No one was injured as a result of this occurrence, but a small quantity of diesel fuel from the truck's tank was spilled. Smoke was seen emanating from the truck's refrigeration system, creating fears of fire. The damage was minor. Other Factual Information Particulars of the Vessel The L'HRITAGEI is a ferry providing seasonal service between Trois-Pistoles on the south shore of the St.Lawrence and Les Escoumins on the north shore. On 29May 1996, the vessel left the Trois-Pistoles wharf at 1000[1] with 13 cars, one trailer, one truck and 20 passengers on board. The wind was from the north-east at 10 to 20 knots. When the ferry was approximately four miles north-west of le aux Basques, the sea became very rough, and the vessel began rolling to about 10 degrees. Two men were sent to the vehicle deck to check the condition of the load. The truck was parked at the forward end. Before departure, the truck wheels had been chocked with wooden wedges and the truck secured to the deck with two tie-downs. Because of the rough sea, the two crew members were preparing to add more tie-downs to the truck. At the same moment, the bridge watch observed a wave that was much higher than the others (approximately 5 to 6m, compared to an average of 2.5m). They tried to turn the ferry to take the wave head on. Under the effect of the sudden vertical acceleration caused by the vessel's severe pitching upon encountering this exceptionally large wave, the two men on the deck saw the truck rise up and break its tie-downs. After pitching, the vessel rolled to about 35degrees on each side, overturning the truck. At 1045, the Les Escoumins Vessel Traffic Centre (VTC) received a call from the L'HRITAGEI reporting a fire on board caused by a truck that had overturned. A few minutes later, it was learned that there was no fire, just smoke emanating from the compressor of the truck's refrigeration system. The smoke stopped once the system was turned off. Fuel was found leaking from the overflow pipe of the truck's fuel tank. Once the leak was stopped and the damage was assessed, the vessel returned to Trois-Pistoles where she reported docking at 1224. The tie-downs used to secure the truck broke at the steel rings permanently attached to the deck. The truck had been secured to the deck with two tie-downs. More tie-downs were not added until it was too late. At the time of departure, no such high waves were expected. The wind was blowing at less than 20 knots at the time of the occurrence.